Electric current regulator



March 10, 1936. s. RUBEN ELECTRIC CURRENT REGULATOR Original Filed Jan. 20, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet l March 10, 1936. S RUBEN 2,033,482

ELECTRIC CURRENT REGULATOR Original Filed Jan. 20, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 66 J 5 /Z 67 y y 554 INVENTOR A T TURNE Y March 10, 1936. s, RUBEN 2,033,482

ELECTRIC CURRENT REGULATOR Original Filed Jan. v20, 1931 5 sheets-sheet 5' I /lo/ IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH Il Il Il @,f 5121 f In non f /O l/Z d 5 /oz /07 /22 QgJ/l/ il l@ l /Q/ /Z/J /0K4` [N VENTOR BY Mm A TTORNE Y Patented Mar. 10, 1936 UNITED .STATES PATENT OFFICE Y ELECTRIC 4CURRRN'r REGULATOR Samuel Ruben, New Rochelle, N. Y., assignor to Vega Manufacturing Corporation, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application January 20, 1931, Serial No.- 509,925 Renewed July 18, 1935 6 Claims.

negative resistance coefficient characteristic of cuprous oxide.

The unit is self heated due to the drop of poftential thru the resistance layer of cuprousl oxide which is integrally formed on the surface of copper. U l y In order to assist in the obtaining of uniform distribution of current through the oxide layer, I have found it desirable to reduce the surface of the cuprous oxide as by quenching the unit in a hydrocarbon, then silver plating the thin film of copper which is produced by the surface reduction of the cuprousoxide.

I have also found that it is highly desirable in the production `of these devices to. eliminate as.

far as possible, the unilateral conductivity in order that the units should be capableof withstanding continuous operation and over-loads. It is believed that the rectifying characteristicis due to themeta-stable layer of copper-cuprous oxide mixture at the junction between the copper and the cuprous oxide and I have found that breakdown of units has been due to the drop of 1 potential across` this meta-stable layer; that if this layer is converted to a stable non-asymmetrical conductive one that a lower resistance unit is obtained and one that is heated uniformly over its entire contacting area. y

Thus, it is apparent that breakdowns or puncturing of units has beenpdue in most instances A preferred methodof making the units is as follows: Pure copper blanks of the desired dimensions are placedv in an oven at a temperature of approximately 1800 Fahrenheit and `left there for approximately seconds at the end of which time they are removed and allowed to cool to room temperature. They will be found to have on a dark scale of cupric oxide which may be removed by hand rubbing over the surface or in any otherj*v suitable manner. The blanks are -then riipped (Cl. L-76) into concentrated nitric acid fr about 1o seconds, removed and thoroughly washed in water after which they are dried with a rag or by putting them in sawdust. They are then placed or strung in an oven which has a constant temperature of 5 1700 Fahrenheit. At the end of 2 hours the temperature of the oven is raised to 1800 Fahrenheit. The effect of this heating is to produce a 10 mil. integrally formed cuprous oxide layer on the copper blanks as described'in my co-pending 10 patent application. The ovenis then opened and the units removed and immediately quenched in an oill bath at rom temperature.- The elapsed time between. the opening of the oven and quenching should not exceed 2 seconds. After 15 remaining in the oil bath for 3 minutes the units are removed after which they are washed in carbon tetrachloride and then wiped off with a soft cloth and buifed until the entire outer surface is glossy and smooth, The effect of the 20 quenching is to reduce the surface of the oxide to copper, thus allowing the sides of the unit to serve as integral terminals for the oxide. The thickness of the oxide coating itself is dependent upon the temperature of the furnace and length of time the copper is allowed to remain in the furnace.

The units are then given a plated or sprayed protective coating of a metal which does not` readily oxidize. Preferably they are silver plated, after whichthey are washed in cold running water, dried, and the edges filed oif.

The next procedure is a second heating o r 'forming which consists in putting the units in an electrical circuit so that initially about one to two amperes is flowing through them and then, over a period of five to ten minutes, gradually increasing the current so that approximately 20 `amperes flnally ows through.

It will be noted that before this second heat 40 treatment, the resistance of the units at room temperature is approximately 10,000 ohms and that after heating the resistance is approximately 35 ohms. 'Ihis reduction of resistance having a high positive temperature coefficient of resistance such as insulatednickel wire, directly wound on the unit and connected in shunt with it. This winding rapidly heatsgup the cuprous oxide layer to a more conductive condition and prevents localization of current through the oxide.

-In order toallow rapid cooling for the next starting I employ a short circuiting device such as a thermostatic element which short circuits the cuprous oxide when it reaches .the desired The heater element operating low resistance. this thermostatic element is dependent upon the load current so that the unit remains short circuited until the circuit is interrupted. Magnetic means, as shown in the drawings, may also be used.

The invention has been illustrated in the ac- -companying drawings in which:

Fig, 1 is a plan view of my novel current conv trol;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view .of the`1currenty control; Y

Fig. 3 is an end view of the current control; Fig,v 4 is a greatly enlarged sectional plan view i through one of the units ofthe current control;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the thermostatic switch and the method of heating it;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 7 is a side elevational view of the embodi- 4high ltemperature such as transite. lava, or the like. In order to support the resistance element upon the insulating base I provide a pair of small blocks II and I2 at one end of the base and another pair of blocks I3 and I4 at the other end of the-base. .These blocks-may be formed of metal or heat resisting insulating material as desired and are spaced apart from each other and positioned so that the blocks II and I3 are in alignment with each other and the blocks I2 and I4 are also in alignment. Upon the block I'I, I position a standard I5.- -This standard is formed of a strip of sheet metal such as copper having a width corresponding to the width'of the block and having a horizontal portion I6 which, extends over the -upper surface of the block II and isI provided witha double bend Aconnecting -.the horizontal portion with a vertical portion I1 having a length sufficient to receive the resistanceV unit and being spaced from .the

l base as indicated. The vertical portion I1 is 'g'ether' and upon the insulating base'by bolts providedwith a pair of side wings or flanges I8 whiclrare bent at an angle to the vertical portion I1 so as to form two parallel plates between which the resistance unit may be secured. A

'second standard I9 similar to the standard I5 is mounted upon the block I3 with the side wings aligned with those of the standard ,I5 and being so positioned as to support' the other end -of the resistance unit between them. A third standard 20'may be mounted on the block I2 and a. fourth standard 2l may be mounted on the block I4. These standards 29 and 2l are exactly similar to the standard I5 and are positioned opposed to each other so as to receive anotherresistance unit. The standards and blocks are held towhichextend through the base and are secured at the lower side by nuts which are positioned in suitable recesses. 'I'hus the standard I5 is secured upon the block II by a bolt 22 which extends through a suitable hole in the horizontal portion of the standard and through holes in the block II and insulating base I0. The standard 5' I9 is secured upon the block I3 and the block upon the insulating base III by means of a bolt 23 which passes through holes in the horizontal portionof the standard, thel block I3 `and the base III. In like manner the standard '20 `and block I2 are secured together and upon the base by means of the bolt 24 and the standard 2l and Y block I4 are secured upon the base by means of the bolt 25. l

A resistance element 26 is positioned between the two standards I5 and I9 in a manner illustrated in Fig. 4. The element 26 comprises a copper plate 21 which-has been treated in the manner described above so that a layer 28 of cuprous oxide is formed upon each surface thereof and upon the surface of the cuprous oxide layer is a thin layer 29 of copperwhich is silver plated so that the outer surface 39 isof silver, thus providing good conductivity on the surface of the element. A hole 3| through the right hand end of the element is aligned with two holes 32 in the parallel side Wings I8 of the standard I5. A metal plate 33 having a suitable hole therethrough which is aligned with the hole through the element is positioned over the outer surface of the side wing at one side and a bolt 34 is passed through the holes in the plate 33, standard I5, and element 26, and is threaded into a hole 35 in a plate 36 provided at the opposite side of the standard. A plate 31 of mica is interposed 35 between the silvered surface on the near side of the resistance unit and the side wing I8 of the standard and-an insulating sleeve 38 of heat -resisting insulating material such as lava is provided around the bolt 34 where it passes through the resistance Aelement 'thereby insulatingv the shank of the bolt from the resistance element. The plate 33 is in contact with both the bolt and the standard and the standard is in contact with the far side of the resistance unit as seen in the figure.` f v In a similar manner the opposite wing of the unit 26 is secured to the standard I9. In this case however a mica plate 39 is interposed between the silvered surface on the far side ofthe element and the standard vI 9 so that the standard I9 is in contact' with the silvered surface on the near side of the'element. In this manner the standard I9 is electrically connected to the silvered surface on the near side of the element while the standard I5 is electrically connected to the silvered surface onvthe far side of the element. Thus for current to ilow between the standards I9 and I5 it must pass from the standard I9 to the silvered surface on the near side of the resistance unit, through the thin copper layer beneath the silvered surface, through the cuprous l oxide layer, through the base metal itself, through and 2I in a manner exactly similar to what has 70 already been described so that the standard 2| is in surface contact with the near silver surface of the resistance `element 40I while the standard.

29 is in surface contact with the far silver surface.

The two standards I9 and 2| are connected 75 together by means of a short bar 4I of copper or brass which may be secured to the blocks I3 and I4 by means of `screws 42 and 43 respectively. I also provide two terminals blocks 44 and 45 positioned at. one side of insulator base I and about midway between the blocks I2 and I4. These terminal blocks may be provided respectively with screws 46 and 41 for attaching wires for connecting the devices in the circuit. The termina-1 block 44 ,may be electrically connected to the block Il by means of a bar 48 formed of sheet metal which may pass under the head of the bolt 22 thereby securing it against the block II and under the head of a bolt 49 which may pass through the block 44 and the base I0 to be sev cured at its lower end by a suitable nut.

The thermostatic switch is mounted at the end of the insulating base I II beyond the blocks II andv I2. To this end a block 58 is positioned at the right hand end of the base Ill and toward the further side thereof and connected electrically to the block II by means of a connecting -arm I which isiheld upon the block II by a screw 52 and upon the block 50 by a screw 53 as indicated. The block 58 may be held in place upon the base Ill by means of a bolt 54 which extends through the block and through the base, being held by a nut at the bottom of the plate in a. suitable recess. A bi-metallc plate 55 is secured by screws 56` to the end of the block and extends vertically, being provided at its upper end with a contact 51 of silver or tungsten or other suitable metal. Similarly a block 58 is provided oncthe forward corner of the base and is electrically connected to the block I2 by means of a connecting arm 59 which is connected to the block I2 by. the screw 6I) and to theblock 56 by the screw 6I. The block 58 is held upon the base II! by means of a bolt 62 which passes through the block and the base and is held at the bottom by a suitable nut. Another bi-metallic plate 63 is attached to the further end of the block 58 by means of -screws 64 and this plate is also provided with a suitable contact 65 which is spaced from the contact 51 on the lil-metallic plate 55. .The plate .63 however is provided at each side thereof with a sheet of mica 66 held in4 position with suitable rivets 61 and wide enough to extend slightly beyond the sides of the plate 63. This is to permit a heating element to be wrapped around the plate 63 without coming into lng the element in spaced relation thereto and' preventing any. vdanger of contact.

The element for heating the thermostatic switch is 'shown more clearly in Fig. 5 and consists preferably of a ribbon 68 of nichrome or other high resistance metal which is doubled over upon itself to form two thicknesses and has its loopend secured under the head of the screw 62. The ribbon then is bent upwardly and is folded over at right angles upon-itself'and then is curved around the bi-metallic thermostat 'arm 63 coming close to the mica plates 6,6. The ribbon 68 then extends `in a long lcuz'veover to the block 45 and'is secured thereupon by means of the screw 69. I provide additional loops 68a and 68h in the resistance ribbon at` each end of its bend around the bi-metallic plate 63 sofas to insure greater -ilexlbility at .this pointand prevent the heater ribbon from retardlng any movement of the bl-metallic plate as the temperature varies.

with the-d ce constructed as shown it wm be through the terminal block 44, the connecting bar 48, the block II, the'standard I5, the further side of the silver coating of the element 26, through the cuprous oxide on the further side of the element, through the copper base of the element,

through the cuprous oxide surface on the near side of the element on to the silver coating on the near side through the standard I9, the block I3, the connecting arm 4I, the block I4, the bracket 2|, the silver coating on the near side of the element 48, the cuprous oxide coating on the near side of y the element, the core of the element itself, the cuprous oxide surface on the other side of the element, on to the silver surface on the far side of the element, through the standard 20, the block I2, through the arm 59, the block 58. through the resistance element 68, and out through the block 45. As the resistance of the elements 26 and 4l is very high when they are cold the initial current for starting a motor, for instance, is greatly reduced but as this current ows through the resistance ribbon 68 it raises the temperature thereof sulcient to heat the bimetallic thermostat plate 63 around which the heater ribbon is wrapped and 'causes it to bend toward the other plate so that the contact 65 approaches the contact 51. After the motor has started the current immediately drops but at about this time the temperature of the thermostat is sufficient to cause the contacts to touch each other thereupon short-circuiting the resistance elements 26 and 40 and causing the reduced current to rlow through the resistance ribbon only'while the motor is running.

A feature of the invention is the means for keeping the contacts 65 and 51 together after the motor has started and thevcurrent is reduced. It will be seen that after the contacts have come together and the current is reduced the tendency is for the bi-metallic plate 63 to cool oil slightly so that it would move away from the other plate and break the connection again if the other contact 51 were fixed in position. However during this time the bi-metallic plate 55 is absorbing heat by radiation from the part .of the resistance ribbon passing between the two plates and from the plate 63. Accordingly when the temperature of the plate 63 has been lowered sufficiently to cause the plate io move the contact 65 in a direction away from the Acontact 51 the plate 55 has absorbed enough heat to cause it to bend toward the plate 63 so that the contact 51 follows the contact 65 andv does not separate from it. Thereafter the heat from the resistance wire or ribbon is suflcient to maintain both the plates 63 and 55 bent toward each other and the contacts 65 and 51 touching each other.

In order to be able to start the motor and stop it in rapid succession Ait is desirable that the whole device will cool down quickly enough after the current is turned off so that it will be ready to assume the .load when the current is turned on again. Accordingly I preferably make all of the parts with as little mass as possible and with as large radiating surface as possible.

Note should be made of the fact that the standards I5, I9, and 2I are ila't strips and are proirded with. double curves which, permits a slight expansion or contraction of the resistance elements 26 and 40 with the temperature changes without putting an undue strain upon the parts. While the standards are not necessarily limited to the'construction shown it is preferable that some means beprovided to give the upper ends thereof more or lcssfrce'movement within a limited range.

In attaching the units 26 and 40 in the brackets it is preferable to' have the side brackets make a uniform contact with the silver surface of the elcment. I therefore prefer to slightly bend or distort the plates 33 and 36 so that the side edges of these plates will bear against the side wings of the brackets with-as much force as at the center where the bolt passes through. By providing the slight bends in these plates they are always under a tension and hold the resistance unit securelyV with a uniform surface contact.

In Figs. 6 and 'I a. modified form of the invention is shown in which the thermostat switch is omitted, the current flowing through the device .at all times during the operation of the motor or other device in which the surge arrester is used. In this construction the base 10, similar to the base I already described, -has supported upon it a pair of resistance elements 1| and 12, the element 1| being mounted between stand- 'ards 13 and 14. The mounting of these resistance elements is exactly the same' as is shown Y and described in connection with the elements.

26 and 40 of the previous figures. The element however has a coil 11 of resistance wire such as nickel, nichrome, or the like having a positive temperature coeillcient of resistance surrounding it and connected at the ends thereof t`o the standards 14 and 13. Strips of insulating material 18 are provided over the edges of the element 1| so as to prevent the wire from touching' the surface of the resistance element. In like y manner the resistance element 12 has a coil 19 of resistance wire wound around it with the ends thereof connected to standards'15 and '16 and this coil is also provided with a strip 10. of mica which prevents contact between the resistance wire and the resistance element itself. A connecting bar 80 is provided connecting the two standards 13 and 15 kwhile the device is connected in a circuit by means of the termina-l screws 8| and 82 which are connected to the standards 14 and 16 respectively. It will be noted from this arrangement that the resistance elements are in series with each other and the resistance coil in .each case is in shunt with theresistance element. may be made to carry a large portion of current.

In Figs. 8 and 9 a modified form of the short circuit-ing switch is shown. Herea magnet coil |00 wound around an iron core |0| is supported upon a baseboard |02 of non-magnetic material by means of suitable brackets |03 and |04. The bracket |03 may be made integral if desired with the core' 0| ofthe magnet and is vpreferably offset at |05 to receive a hinge connection |06 which may be secured to the bracket |03 by means of the screw |01. The other supporting Abracket |04 may be attached to one' side of the |09 which is pivoted to the hinge connection |06- by means of the pivot and extends beyond the core end ||0, being provided at its end with a contact ||2E A bracket `||3 is provided' adjacent the armature |09 and spaced slightly to one side thereof and may be secured upon the base plate |02 by means of the screws IM. This bracket has its upper end ||5 bent over the contact and is provided with a ho1e.||6 through which a pin ||1 may slightly pass. The pin V| I1 is provided with a head ||8 to preventA it passing downwardly through the end ||5 of the bracket vcome up to speed. Y

In this manner the resistance wirev H3. The lower end of the pin is provided with a contact ||9 which is urged downwardly by a spring |20 which surrounds the pin and bears against the upper side of the contact ||9 and the lower side of the bracket ||5. T his construction insures the contact ||9 being normally at its lowermost position and permits it to move upwardly against the tension of the spring |20. A suitableadjusting screw |2| provided with lock-nut |22 is provided to regulate the lower position of the armature |09 which assumes that lowermost position by the force of gravity or a suitable spring may be provided to urge it to its lowermost position when the magnet is not energized.

This short-circuitingl switch may be usedin place of the thermostatic switch shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive and necessitates the maximum current permitted by the resistance element before enough magnet ux is produced to draw the armature up and make the contact and thereby short. circuit the resistance unit. After the contact has been made however a materially reduced current which is the normal current when the motor or other apparatus is in operation is sufficient to hold the armature in position with the contact closed. This type of magnetic yswitch has the advantage that it does not have to cool of after the current is turned off, so that for motors or other appliances which need to be intermittently operated the magnetic type of switch is preferred.

While I have shown' a specific type of magnetic switch it will be understood that other types may be used such as one with a dash pot for retarded operation on'a small amount of current. Other types of switches may be used and in some cases it may even be preferred to use a manually operated' switch to beclosed when the Vm'otor has Manyfmodications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spiritof vthe claims and I do not, therefore, desire to limit myself to what has been shown and described except as such limitations occur inthe appended.

one side of said resistance element from one of 'A said standards. and means to insulate the other side of' said resistance element from the other standard.

2. The method of removing the rectifying I Ycharacteristics of a copper cuprous oxide resistor for a current regulator which comprises the step of passing a current of about 1 ampere through the junction surfaces of the resistor and gradually increasing the current over a period in the neighborhoodof ten minutes until approximately 20 amperes of current is flowing.

3. A current control Vcomprising a metal base having an integral layer of fused cuprous oxide,

the junction surface of said metal base and cuvprous oxide beingsubstantially free from elec- ,i

6. A step in the method'of removing the rectifying characteristics of a copper-cuprous oxide resistor for a current regulator which comprises gradually heating the junction surface between a copper plate and an integral layer of cuprous oxide formed on said plate from approximate room temperature up to a temperature point at which the cuprous oxide assumes a. homogeneous and stable form permitting a symmetrical iiow of current in either direction across the junction 10 between the copper and cuprous oxide surfaces.

SAMUEL RUBEN. 

